Downtown Petoskey card shop to close this winter

PETOSKEY -- Elsie's Hallmark, a source of greeting cards and gifts in downtown Petoskey for many years, will close its doors this winter.

The downtown shop, 307 Howard St., is one of four franchised Hallmark locations around Northern Michigan owned by Steve and Flo Hajek. Steve said his company has decided to serve the Petoskey market from one location -- its Kelly's Hallmark shop in the Glen's North plaza on U.S. 31 -- instead of two.

"We're consolidating our operations," he said.

Through the years, Steve Hajek said traffic for shops such as Elsie's has diminished as the downtown Petoskey business environment has evolved.

"The mix of the downtown is trending away from (traditional) retail," he said, adding that several other downtown gift shops have closed in recent years as well.

While the business district remains fairly healthy overall, Hajek said its focus has shifted more toward dining, services and boutique shopping.

The Hajeks periodically have evaluated their operations' performance with Hallmark Cards and their own business team, and Steve said the trends working against Elsie's were discussed during a recent review.

After owning the downtown shop since 1981, Steve Hajek said the decision to close it wasn't an easy one to make.

Hajek expects Elsie's will close sometime around the beginning of 2013. The four employees working there will move into positions elsewhere in the company, he added.

The Hajeks already have sold the building that houses Elsie's. Steve said he wasn't in a position to provide details about the new owner.

Emmet County property records indicate that Shanders LLC acquired the building earlier this year.

Along with the two Petoskey shops, the Hajeks also own Hallmark stores in Gaylord and Grayling.